Recent content by Carl

Gentlemen, Thank you. That was an incredibly fast answer -- better than email. Thanks again.

Maybe someone can help me with this one. If a single person traveler purchases a roomette accomodation will Amtrak sell the second seat/bunk to another traveler? The Amtrak website suggests that the accomodation charge is per roomette. Another way to put my question is does purchase of a...

No "closet" per se in the Superliner Roomette. There were two hangers. There's a new Amtrak-Greyhound Station in Albuquerque. It had a short order grill. I do not know whether it offered "iced coffee." Plenty of room on the Surfliner Business Class coach car for luggage. I posted a trip...

Every now and then the opportunity for a cross-country train trip presents itself. Such was the case this year and it presented a chance to compare the experience with previous trips in 1998 and 2003. In September 1998, we road the Empire Builder from Milwaukee to Seattle and the Coast...

AlanB. this reply comes several months after your post. But, if by chance you see it, I found your reply VERY helpful. Thanks. --chh

Any thoughts on when to tip the sleeping car attendant? At the beginning of the trip? At the end? Day to day? --chh

Previously on this forum it was suggested that, if particular seating/accomodations were not available when the reservation was, one should check back later as seating/accomodations become available when reservations are cancelled. My question is how does one change an existing reservation? I...

Blocked-off Cab Car pretty well confirms the obvious. Running in push mode is inherently dangerous to anyone riding in the Cab Car. Solution = use the wyes and some of the time padding to always run in pull mode

Some interesting comments on Cab Car versus engine up front. Here in Southern California, the Pacific Surfliner runs in pull mode (typically an F59PHI up front) southbound and push mode (typically a Cab Car up front) northbound. Except for the direction involved the same is true of the...

Although I've traveled by Amtrak on several occasions I have never used their on-line reservation system. With that thought in mind I have several questions which those more experienced might answer. 1) If an on-line reservation is made, including a bedroom accomodation, must one use a credit...

Regarding the comeback trip to SAN in Unreserved Coach you can ride any Pacific Surfliner train with little regard for the train your ticketed on so long as you do it on ticketed day of travel. There's no need to wait in line at a ticket window to get reticketed. If you remain overnight and...

If you have not visited the Choo Choo Restaurant in downtown Des Plaines, IL it's worth a visit. A 1950's hamburger diner, the food is delivered on a three-rail loop of O Gauge track. See photos. And the foods good too!

The question is how does one best ensure a sleeper reservation in a refurbished Sleeper Car versus an unrefurbished one. Looking at a recent post in the Travelogue Form I read of one family's experience. In that case it appears the consist included a refurbished sleeper car and an urefurbished...